Body Mass and Income: Gender and Occupational Differences

Ping Li, Xiaozhou Chen and Qi Yao
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Ping Li: School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xiaozhou Chen: School of Business Administration, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou 510521, China
Qi Yao: School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-20

Abstract: This paper aims to examine the influence of body shape on income, which varies with gender and occupational structure in China. The data were obtained from the CGSS (Chinese General Social Survey) 2010–2017 Survey. The overall finding in this paper is that women and men face different body shape–income effects. For females, the obesity penalty is significant and is reinforced with increasing occupational rank. For men, the thinness penalty (or weight premium) is enhanced as the occupational class decreases. Body shape–income gaps are mainly caused by the occupational structure. Twenty-nine percent of the income gap between overweight and average weight women can be explained by the obesity penalty, 37% of the income gap between overweight and average weight men can be interpreted by the weight premium, and 11% of the gap between underweight and normal weight men can be explained by the thinness penalty. The findings also suggest that the effect of body shape on income consists of two pathways: body shape affects health capital and socialization, and therefore income. Healthy lifestyles and scientific employment concepts should be promoted, and measures to close the gender gap should be implemented.

Keywords: BMI; overweight; underweight; obesity penalty; weight premium (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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